Academic Accolades

Academic

UAB pursues the frontiers of education, research and health care and strives to be one of the most dynamic and productive universities of the 21st century.

Our strategic plan, Forging the Future, is our roadmap for the next five years of growth. It outlines goals that share three themes: increasing access to our world-class educational programs, patient care, and research; enhancing the alignment of people and programs to reflect the interdisciplinary nature of 21st-century curricula, scientific investigation, and creative scholarship; and investing in grand ideas to tackle major problems facing society.

NameAchievement
Accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, Council of Graduate Schools in the United States, plus 29 independent accrediting agencies for degree programs and residencies in Arts & Sciences, Business, Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, Optometry, and Public Health.

"America's Best Large Employer"

Forbes named UAB America's Best Large Employer for 2021. The university tops a list of more than 500 public and private corporations, hospitals, universities and more across dozens of industries.

Association of Public and Land-grant Universities

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities has designated UAB as an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University, among 65 higher education institutions nationwide to receive this prestigious honor.

“Best Global Universities”

U.S. News ranked UAB among the top 8 percent of universities worldwide in its 2022-2023 list.

“Best Graduate Schools” 

U.S. News ranked 16 UAB programs among the leaders in their fields in its 2022 lists.

Diversity

Forbes named UAB its Best Employer for Diversity among colleges and universities in 2021. For the fifth straight year, UAB was named a Diversity Champion in 2022 by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. UAB also received the magazine's Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award for the sixth time since 2016.

Endowed chairs and professorships

UAB has more than 240 endowed chairs and professorships.

Graduate education

UAB graduate students are a diverse group pursuing degrees in 40 doctoral programs and more than 70 master's programs.

Honors College

Students are drawn to specialized courses and research opportunities, especially among its programs for Science and Technology, Global and Community Leadership and Early Medical Professional Schools Acceptance.

Interdisciplinary
studies

UAB is a leader in developing undergraduate and graduate programs for emerging fields at the intersection of disciplines within and among UAB schools.

International reach

In fall 2020, more than 1,000 UAB students hailed from outside the United States.

Libraries

The UAB Libraries' collections include more than 1.4 million volumes and more than 40,000 journals and serials, in addition to extensive electronic resources, rare books, microfilms and audio-visual materials. The UAB Libraries host nearly 1 million patrons each year.

Health education 

Our faculty physicians, dentists, optometrists, nurses — many included among America’s best practitioners and leaders of professional and scientific societies — train students and residents in one of the nation’s largest and most advanced medical centers.

Postdoctoral
Education 

Among the nation’s first universities to establish an Office of Postdoctoral Education in 1999, UAB is recognized for excellent benefits and career opportunities for its more than 275 postdoctoral scholars training in dentistry, engineering, health professions, medicine, natural sciences and mathematics, public health, optometry and social and behavioral sciences and elsewhere.  

Quality Enhancement Plan

UAB's QEP, Learning in a Team Environment, ensures all students will be exposed to team mechanics and dynamics that will benefit them in all stages of their academic experiences and throughout their careers.

Research funding

UAB received $715 million in research grants and awards for the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2022, up from $648 million the previous year and a 50% increase over the past five years, according to data from its Office of Sponsored Programs.

Times Higher Education World University Rankings

Ranked No. 1 nationally (for the second year in a row) and top 12 in the world in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, 2019 Young University Rankings.

Undergraduate research

Students have the opportunity to do real research in UAB labs as early as their freshman year. Their work is showcased in the student-published research journal Inquiro and during the spring and summer Undergraduate Research Expos.